In Part 2 of my Highlights of 2025 series, we focus on what the evidence really tells us about heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol, diet quality, sustainability, and performance. These are areas where confident claims often outpace the science, and where long-term outcomes matter far more than short-term trends.
This episode brings together insights from Dr Laurence Sperling, Dr Thomas Dayspring, Dr Dan Soffer, Dr Raymond Townsend, Dr Hannah Ritchie, Dr Iñigo San Millán, and Dr Dawn Mussallem, alongside my own commentary, to help make sense of cardiovascular risk, prevention strategies, and practical lifestyle decisions.
Across these conversations, the recurring theme is simple but challenging: preventing disease and extending healthspan requires thinking in decades, not years, and prioritising evidence over ideology.
What we cover:
- What optimal LDL cholesterol, ApoB, triglyceride, and blood pressure targets look like for long-term cardiovascular prevention
- Why atherosclerosis often begins early in life and why 10-year risk calculators can miss lifetime risk
- How biomarkers and imaging can complement each other when assessing cardiovascular health
- What the Keto CTA study actually showed about plaque progression and why interpretation matters
- Why “metabolically healthy” does not always mean low cardiovascular risk
- The biggest drivers of high blood pressure and which lifestyle levers have the greatest impact
- What elevated Lp(a) means for lifetime risk and what can be done now
- How dietary choices affect environmental impact and where the trade-offs really are
- Why soy is safe and often beneficial for people with breast cancer
- How to think about plant-based nutrition without nutrient fear
- What creatine does in the body, who may benefit most, and how to dose it properly
- Why creatine does not damage the kidneys and how to interpret blood tests correctly
Thank you for joining me for Part 2 of Highlights of 2025 on The Proof. I hope this episode helps you approach heart health and longevity with more clarity, less fear, and a stronger grounding in evidence.
- Intro (00:00)
- Optimal LDL & Blood Pressure Levels to Prevent Heart Disease – Dr Laurence Sperling (01:13)
- Keto Diet, Cholesterol & Heart Health Explained – Simon Hill (11:19)
- Why Heart Disease Happens Even When You’re Doing Everything Right – Dr Thomas Dayspring and Dr Dan Soffer (29:07)
- Who Should Start Statins or Cholesterol-Lowering Therapy – Dr Thomas Dayspring and Dr Dan Soffer (53:28)
- What Hypertension Really Means and Why It’s Misunderstood – Dr Raymond Townsend (1:08:20)
- Lifestyle Habits That Naturally Lower Blood Pressure – Dr Raymond Townsend (1:20:28)
- Can You Lower Lipoprotein(a) or Is It Genetic – Simon Hill (1:27:37)
- Plant-Based Diets, Nutrition Needs & Climate Impact – Dr Hannah Ritchie (1:32:05)
- Lactate, Mitochondria & Longevity – Dr. Inigo San Millan (1:45:48)
- The Biggest Healthy Eating Questions in Cancer Prevention – Dr Dawn Mussallem (1:57:29)
- Creatine Benefits, Safety & Performance – Simon Hill (2:05:07)
- Does Creatine Timing Matter – Simon Hill (2:11:40)
- Does Creatine Harm the Kidneys – Simon Hill (2:13:58)
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